Look forward to games due January, February and March, from reboots for Tomb Raider and Devil May Cry to long-awaited sequels in SimCity, Fire Emblem: Awakening, and original material in the form of Spirited Away-style anime adventure Ni no Kuni and boistrous brawler Anarchy Reigns.
Anarchy Reigns (360 PS3)
North America: January 8
European regions: January 11
Japan: since July 2012
Larger-than-life characters from Platinum Games' eccentric stable convene to knock seven bells out of each other.
sega.com/anarchyreigns
DmC: Devil May Cry (360 PC PS3)
North America and European regions: January 15
Japan: January 17
PC dates to be confirmed
Capcom's ten-year-old series rebooted by the Enslaved and Heavenly Sword studio; Dante must slash and shoot his way through the demon-infested Limbo City, which is gradually falling apart at the seams.
devilmaycry.com
Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch (PS3)
North America: January 22
European regions: January 25
Japan: since November 2011
Studio Ghibli of Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle teams with developer Level-5 (Professor Layton series) for this story in which the recently bereaved Oliver finds himself led into a peculiar alternate reality.
ninokunigame.com
Fire Emblem: Awakening (3DS)
North America: February 4
European regions: April 2013
Japan: since April 2012
As well-received on its Japanese debut as it was highly anticipated, Fire Emblem: Awakening is the series's first outing on 3DS.
fireemblemawakening.com
Dead Space 3 (360 PC PS3)
North America: February 5
European regions: February 8
Australia: Feb 7 on PC, Feb 15 on console
Exchanging space hulk for snow planet, main character Isaac Clarke joins up with newcomer Sgt. John Carver in pursuit of the truth about Unitology, exterminating hideous Necromorphs, and searching for missing survivor Ellie Langford.
deadspace.com
Brain Age: Concentration Training (3DS)
North America: February 10
European regions: March 8
Japan: since July 2012
Can Concentration Training further boost the Nintendo 3DS's popularity just as the original Brain Age puzzles helped make the DS a mainstream success in the mid-2000s, or has the world moved on to smartphone diversions instead?
brainage.com
Crysis 3 (360 PC PS3)
North America: February 19
European regions: February 22
Don a supersoldier's nanosuit and head into a future New York that's as much rainforest as it is ruin, host to both jungle and urban warfare against antagonistic alien forces and the sinister CELL Corporation.
crysis.com
Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (360 PS3)
North America: February 19
European regions: February 22
Japan: February 21
Metal Gear Solid, supreme sneaking stealth game, becomes overblown action fest for this spin-off, centering upon the cyborg warrior and one-man army Raiden, who takes on a shady Private Military Company.
metalgearsolid.com
SimCity (Mac PC)
North America: March 5
European regions: March 8
Adopting the name of its 1989 ancenstor, 2013's SimCity promises a hefty dose of metropolis management, aiming to provide both complexity and accessiblity, along with online multiplayer.
simcity.com
Tomb Raider (360 PC PS3)
North America: March 5
European regions: March 8
In this reboot treasure hunter Lara Croft goes back to basics, marooned on an island and forced to fend for herself, in an adventure written by Mirrors Edge scribe (and Terry Pratchett's daughter) Rhianna Pratchett.
tombraider.com
StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm
Worldwide: March 12
The second of three intense real-time strategy games to emerge under the StarCraft II name, and a chance to experience life as the commander of an insectoid, Borg-like race.
battle.net/sc2
Gears of War: Judgement (360)
North America: March 19
Japan, European regions: March
Prequel to the Gears third-person shooter series and first full attempt from Polish crew People Can Fly, which assisted with the first two games; Judgement sees squaddies Baird and Cole take center stage in the battle against the Locust.
gearsofwar.xbox.com
BioShock Infinite (360 PC PS3)
Worldwide: March 26
The BioShock series, for two games a brooding undersea encounter, becomes a dashing airborne adventure aboard a city floating high above 1912 USA, where Founders and protestors fight for control of both citadel and the supernaturally empowered Elizabeth.
bioshockinfinite.com
Bonus outsider bet: Grand Theft Auto V (360 PS3)
Worldwide: Spring 2013
Los Angeles is transformed into Los Santos as Grand Theft Auto V extends an invitation to run wild, whether within its story mode or by using GTA V's detailed digital sandbox to create havoc with friends. A designated release window of 'Spring 2013' means we could be seeing it as soon as March, though a May date would be more in line with preceding Rockstar games Max Payne 3, L.A. Noire and Red Dead Redemption.
rockstargames.com/V
